IP Library Granted Patent US 11,462,544
Granted Patent B2
US 11,462,544 · App. 16/161,381 · Granted Oct 4, 2022

Array of recessed access gate lines

Inventors: Sanh D. Tang (Boise, ID); Kamal M. Karda (Boise, ID); Wolfgang Mueller (Garden City, ID); Sourabh Dhir (Boise, ID); Robert Kerr (Boise, ID); Sangmin Hwang (Boise, ID); Haitao Liu (Boise, ID)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
H01L27/10823H01L21/76232H01L23/528H01L27/10808H01L27/10876H01L27/10885H01L27/10888H01L29/0649H01L29/0653H01L29/0657H01L29/0847H01L29/4236H01L29/66477H01L29/66621H01L29/78H01L2924/0002H01L2924/1436
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,462,544
App. No.
16/161,381
Granted
Oct 4, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An array of recessed access gate lines includes active area regions having dielectric trench isolation material there-between. The trench isolation material comprises dielectric projections extending into opposing ends of individual active area regions under an elevationally outermost surface of material of the active area regions. The active area material is elevationally over the dielectric projections. Recessed access gate lines individually extend transversally across the active area regions and extend between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions within the dielectric trench isolation material. Other arrays are disclosed, as are methods.

Claims (37)

1. An array of recessed access gate lines, comprising:

active area regions having dielectric trench isolation material there-between, the trench isolation material comprising dielectric projections extending into opposing ends of individual active area regions under an elevationally outermost surface of material of the active area regions in a vertical cross-section, the active area material being elevationally over the dielectric projections in the vertical cross-section;

recessed access gate lines individually extending transversally across the active area regions, the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section extending between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions within the dielectric trench isolation material; and

the active area regions individually comprising a pair of transistor source/drain regions on opposing sides of individual of the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section, one of the dielectric projections projecting into material of one of the source/drain regions above a bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section, the one dielectric projection having a straight non-vertical sidewall that extends through the bottom of the material of the one source/drain region.

2. An array of recessed access gate lines, comprising:

active area regions having dielectric trench isolation material there-between, the trench isolation material comprising dielectric projections extending into opposing ends of individual active area regions under an elevationally outermost surface of material of the active area regions in a vertical cross-section, the active area material being elevationally over the dielectric projections in the vertical cross-section;

recessed access gate lines individually extending transversally across the active area regions, the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section extending between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions within the dielectric trench isolation material; and

the active area regions individually comprising a pair of transistor source/drain regions on opposing sides of individual of the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section, one of the dielectric projections projecting into material of one of the source/drain regions above a bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section, the trench isolation material above a furthest extent of the one dielectric projection comprising a straight sidewall that is angled relative to a straight sidewall of the trench isolation material that is below the furthest extent of the one dielectric projection.

3. The array of claim 2 wherein the straight sidewall of the trench isolation material that is above the furthest extent of the one dielectric projection is vertical.

4. An array of recessed access gate lines, comprising:

active area regions having dielectric trench isolation material there-between, the trench isolation material comprising dielectric projections extending into opposing ends of individual active area regions under an elevationally outermost surface of material of the active area regions in a vertical cross-section, the active area material being elevationally over the dielectric projections in the vertical cross-section;

recessed access gate lines individually extending transversally across the active area regions, the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section extending between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions within the dielectric trench isolation material; and

the active area regions individually comprising a pair of transistor source/drain regions on opposing sides of individual of the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section, one of the dielectric projections projecting into material of one of the source/drain regions above a bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section, the one dielectric projection having a straight sidewall that extends upwardly from the bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section to a curved sidewall that is above the straight sidewall in the vertical cross-section.

5. The array of claim 4 wherein the dielectric trench isolation material between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions comprises opposing sidewalls that are substantially vertical elevationally outward of furthest extents of the dielectric projections into the ends of those immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions.

6. The array of claim 4 wherein projecting distance of the dielectric projections longitudinally into the respective ends is from about 5 to 10 nanometers from respective furthest longitudinal extents of the active area material.

7. The array of claim 4 wherein the dielectric projections start longitudinally projecting into the respective active area material ends at a depth of from about 10 to 20 nanometers from the elevationally outermost surface of the active area material.

8. The array of claim 4 wherein spacing between immediately side-to-side adjacent active area regions is less than spacing between immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions.

9. A plurality of memory cells of memory circuitry incorporating the recessed access gate lines of claim 4 .

10. Memory circuitry according to claim 9 wherein the memory cells are DRAM cells individually comprising a capacitor.

11. The array of claim 4 wherein the individual active area regions are longitudinally elongated along a straight longitudinal axis.

12. The array of claim 11 wherein the longitudinal axes of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions are co-linear.

13. The array of claim 11 wherein the individual recessed access gate lines cross the active area regions at other than an orthogonal angle to the longitudinal axis.

14. An array of recessed access gate lines, comprising:

active area regions having dielectric trench isolation material there-between, the trench isolation material comprising dielectric projections extending into opposing ends of individual active area regions under an elevationally outermost surface of material of the active area regions in a vertical cross-section, the active area material being elevationally over the dielectric projections in the vertical cross-section;

recessed access gate lines individually extending transversally across the active area regions, the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section extending between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions within the dielectric trench isolation material;

the active area regions individually comprising a pair of transistor source/drain regions on opposing sides of individual of the recessed access gate lines in the vertical cross-section, one of the dielectric projections projecting into material of one of the source/drain regions above a bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section; and

the dielectric trench isolation material between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions comprises opposing sidewalls that taper laterally inward elevationally inward of furthest extents of the dielectric projections into the ends of those immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions, an uppermost-portion of one of the opposing tapering sidewalls being in and directly against the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section.

15. The array of claim 14 wherein the dielectric trench isolation material between the ends of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions comprises opposing sidewalls that are substantially vertical elevationally outward of furthest extents of the dielectric projections into the ends of those immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions.

16. The array of claim 14 wherein projecting distance of the dielectric projections longitudinally into the respective ends is from about 5 to 10 nanometers from respective furthest longitudinal extents of the active area material.

17. The array of claim 14 wherein the dielectric projections start longitudinally projecting into the respective active area material ends at a depth of from about 10 to 20 nanometers from the elevationally outermost surface of the active area material.

18. The array of claim 14 wherein spacing between immediately side-to-side adjacent active area regions is less than spacing between immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions.

19. The array of claim 14 wherein the one dielectric projection has a straight sidewall that extends upwardly from the bottom of the material of the one source/drain region in the vertical cross-section to a curved sidewall that is above the straight sidewall in the vertical cross-section.

20. A plurality of memory cells of memory circuitry incorporating the recessed access gate lines of claim 14 .

21. Memory circuitry according to claim 20 wherein the memory cells are DRAM cells individually comprising a capacitor.

22. The array of claim 14 wherein the individual active area regions are longitudinally elongated along a straight longitudinal axis.

23. The array of claim 22 wherein the longitudinal axes of immediately end-to-end adjacent active area regions are co-linear.

24. The array of claim 22 wherein the individual recessed access gate lines cross the active area regions at other than an orthogonal angle to the longitudinal axis.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 051026/0568 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 14, 2019
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 050718/0764 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 11 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 16, 2019
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 048082/0860 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 2 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 16, 2019
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 048082/0889 →
Continuity (3)
Division 15005360 · Jan 25, 2016
Division 13948746 · Jul 23, 2013
Related Publication 20190051653A1 · Feb 14, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,615,765